Artful Homemade Quilts Have A Way

[Sunshine]

Today, I was going through some quilt books I already had shelved, filling one library full of quilt books between the kitchen and the back door, and found the book, "Ontario's Heritage Quilts" by Marilyn Walker, 1992. It is filled with some of the prettiest quilts known, and well I know it, because on our trip across Canada in fall of 2006, we stopped in a large town (not sure which one) and visited a huge mansion that was converted to public use and was showing an amazing array of quilts made by Canadians, and they were hanging throughout the mansion/castle. Though the quilt below was not at the show, it made me think of Sunshine's lovely Celtic embroidery work, and I thought she'd enjoy seeing this particular quilt. The picture is on page 106, and I checked and there are copies of the book at Amazon, including hardcover books. The book is worth ten times its cost. Those Canadian ladies ain't no slouches when it comes to excellence. I should know. I had to force my lower jaw from dropping for two hours when seeing the amazing quilt show in their historic mansion/castle. Seems maybe it was in Ontario.

Also, for the first day of the year, I thought it'd be nice to do a little red and white quilt start for a show in a couple of years, so I quilted-as-you-go and cut bazillions of strips. I'll need 63 eight-inch squares to make a quilt 56x72". It's a small start, but the cutting is mainly behind me ~ or is it?

To see the details of this quilt, please click on the thumbnail, which makes it a much clearer picture to see (I hope)!

Thanks, becki! I do like that quilt. You do know that a lot of Canadians are of Celtic descent? My SIL is from Canada. He and my daughter had their wedding there, and she was formally welcomed into the two 'clans.' That Celtic influence in some parts of Canada is still very strong. I suspect this quilt may have been influenced by that.

 

[freedombecki]

Today, I was going through some quilt books I already had shelved, filling one library full of quilt books between the kitchen and the back door, and found the book, "Ontario's Heritage Quilts" by Marilyn Walker, 1992. It is filled with some of the prettiest quilts known, and well I know it, because on our trip across Canada in fall of 2006, we stopped in a large town (not sure which one) and visited a huge mansion that was converted to public use and was showing an amazing array of quilts made by Canadians, and they were hanging throughout the mansion/castle. Though the quilt below was not at the show, it made me think of Sunshine's lovely Celtic embroidery work, and I thought she'd enjoy seeing this particular quilt. The picture is on page 106, and I checked and there are copies of the book at Amazon, including hardcover books. The book is worth ten times its cost. Those Canadian ladies ain't no slouches when it comes to excellence. I should know. I had to force my lower jaw from dropping for two hours when seeing the amazing quilt show in their historic mansion/castle. Seems maybe it was in Ontario.

Also, for the first day of the year, I thought it'd be nice to do a little red and white quilt start for a show in a couple of years, so I quilted-as-you-go and cut bazillions of strips. I'll need 63 eight-inch squares to make a quilt 56x72". It's a small start, but the cutting is mainly behind me ~ or is it?

To see the details of this quilt, please click on the thumbnail, which makes it a much clearer picture to see (I hope)!

Thanks, becki! I do like that quilt. You do know that a lot of Canadians are of Celtic descent? My SIL is from Canada. He and my daughter had their wedding there, and she was formally welcomed into the two 'clans.' That Celtic influence in some parts of Canada is still very strong. I suspect this quilt may have been influenced by that.

Thanks for the "why"--our trip, while oriented around history fell on deaf ears when I was around that quilt castle. I'm a very visual person, as you may have guessed by now, and their quilts are not only fascinating, the ones in that show were mesmerizing.

I apologize for my bad picture that looks like there is wallpaper all over everything. The printer cover did not shut, so I darkened the room The blurred repeat just wallpapered the pic. I saw two hardback copies at Amazon yesterday for under $5. It's a small book but so well done it would grace any den or parlor table in America, or the world, for that matter. It is an exquisite book in every way, and I hope the author repeats another book as a decade has passed since its first printing. Her selections and the way they are presented are an inspiration. Her American rival wrote "At Home With Quilts" which is a good book too, sans the influences of Canadian culture. What am I saying? There are a lot of good books out there, I just liked the Canadian book because I lived in cold country for so long! The one I shared is not near as beautiful as the one in the book. The flounce at the bottom of the white and red Celtic quilt is one of the most difficult but rewarding edge treatments one can use on a quilt. That was one of the most exquisite quilt edges I've seen ever. My bad copy obfuscated it. I hope you get the book. If you didn't care for it yourself, your daughter's son's family would love it being in their home.

I'm pleased with my red and white quilting project started yesterday. No matter what I do, I'm always needing more lights when I quilt log cabins. I hate repetitions of the same fabric, so I fight back now and then by just buying quarter yards when visiting quilt stores. The net result of that folly is I run out of the prettiest ones first. *sigh* And this is a terrible time to be looking for red and white. Seems this year, the designers aren't into red and white just because I am. Also, there won't be anything but red hearts for the next 6 weeks due to Valentine's Day, and most of those are doused with one shade of pink or another.

I'm following the red-and-white-only rule, and red on white is a lot harder to locate than white on red this year. You'd think they'd learn as a no-brainer that when they run out of the red-and-whites, people just go elsewhere and seek it out if they're doing a red and white only work. That New York American Folk Art Museum showing should have taught them a lesson--do red this year, people want it.

 

[Sunshine]

Today, I was going through some quilt books I already had shelved, filling one library full of quilt books between the kitchen and the back door, and found the book, "Ontario's Heritage Quilts" by Marilyn Walker, 1992. It is filled with some of the prettiest quilts known, and well I know it, because on our trip across Canada in fall of 2006, we stopped in a large town (not sure which one) and visited a huge mansion that was converted to public use and was showing an amazing array of quilts made by Canadians, and they were hanging throughout the mansion/castle. Though the quilt below was not at the show, it made me think of Sunshine's lovely Celtic embroidery work, and I thought she'd enjoy seeing this particular quilt. The picture is on page 106, and I checked and there are copies of the book at Amazon, including hardcover books. The book is worth ten times its cost. Those Canadian ladies ain't no slouches when it comes to excellence. I should know. I had to force my lower jaw from dropping for two hours when seeing the amazing quilt show in their historic mansion/castle. Seems maybe it was in Ontario.

Also, for the first day of the year, I thought it'd be nice to do a little red and white quilt start for a show in a couple of years, so I quilted-as-you-go and cut bazillions of strips. I'll need 63 eight-inch squares to make a quilt 56x72". It's a small start, but the cutting is mainly behind me ~ or is it?

To see the details of this quilt, please click on the thumbnail, which makes it a much clearer picture to see (I hope)!

Thanks, becki! I do like that quilt. You do know that a lot of Canadians are of Celtic descent? My SIL is from Canada. He and my daughter had their wedding there, and she was formally welcomed into the two 'clans.' That Celtic influence in some parts of Canada is still very strong. I suspect this quilt may have been influenced by that.

Thanks for the "why"--our trip, while oriented around history fell on deaf ears when I was around that quilt castle. I'm a very visual person, as you may have guessed by now, and their quilts are not only fascinating, the ones in that show were mesmerizing.

I apologize for my bad picture that looks like there is wallpaper all over everything. The printer cover did not shut, so I darkened the room The blurred repeat just wallpapered the pic. I saw two hardback copies at Amazon yesterday for under $5. It's a small book but so well done it would grace any den or parlor table in America, or the world, for that matter. It is an exquisite book in every way, and I hope the author repeats another book as a decade has passed since its first printing. Her selections and the way they are presented are an inspiration. Her American rival wrote "At Home With Quilts" which is a good book too, sans the influences of Canadian culture. What am I saying? There are a lot of good books out there, I just liked the Canadian book because I lived in cold country for so long! The one I shared is not near as beautiful as the one in the book. The flounce at the bottom of the white and red Celtic quilt is one of the most difficult but rewarding edge treatments one can use on a quilt. That was one of the most exquisite quilt edges I've seen ever. My bad copy obfuscated it. I hope you get the book. If you didn't care for it yourself, your daughter's son's family would love it being in their home.

I'm pleased with my red and white quilting project started yesterday. No matter what I do, I'm always needing more lights when I quilt log cabins. I hate repetitions of the same fabric, so I fight back now and then by just buying quarter yards when visiting quilt stores. The net result of that folly is I run out of the prettiest ones first. *sigh* And this is a terrible time to be looking for red and white. Seems this year, the designers aren't into red and white just because I am. Also, there won't be anything but red hearts for the next 6 weeks due to Valentine's Day, and most of those are doused with one shade of pink or another.

I'm following the red-and-white-only rule, and red on white is a lot harder to locate than white on red this year. You'd think they'd learn as a no-brainer that when they run out of the red-and-whites, people just go elsewhere and seek it out if they're doing a red and white only work. That New York American Folk Art Museum showing should have taught them a lesson--do red this year, people want it.

Well, one thing about it super markets have learned to keep items on hand that are featured on The Food Network!!!

The quilt hanging on the end of the bed looks like it is an interesting one a well.

 

[freedombecki]

Thanks, becki! I do like that quilt. You do know that a lot of Canadians are of Celtic descent? My SIL is from Canada. He and my daughter had their wedding there, and she was formally welcomed into the two 'clans.' That Celtic influence in some parts of Canada is still very strong. I suspect this quilt may have been influenced by that.

Thanks for the "why"--our trip, while oriented around history fell on deaf ears when I was around that quilt castle. I'm a very visual person, as you may have guessed by now, and their quilts are not only fascinating, the ones in that show were mesmerizing.

I apologize for my bad picture that looks like there is wallpaper all over everything. The printer cover did not shut, so I darkened the room The blurred repeat just wallpapered the pic. I saw two hardback copies at Amazon yesterday for under $5. It's a small book but so well done it would grace any den or parlor table in America, or the world, for that matter. It is an exquisite book in every way, and I hope the author repeats another book as a decade has passed since its first printing. Her selections and the way they are presented are an inspiration. Her American rival wrote "At Home With Quilts" which is a good book too, sans the influences of Canadian culture. What am I saying? There are a lot of good books out there, I just liked the Canadian book because I lived in cold country for so long! The one I shared is not near as beautiful as the one in the book. The flounce at the bottom of the white and red Celtic quilt is one of the most difficult but rewarding edge treatments one can use on a quilt. That was one of the most exquisite quilt edges I've seen ever. My bad copy obfuscated it. I hope you get the book. If you didn't care for it yourself, your daughter's son's family would love it being in their home.

I'm pleased with my red and white quilting project started yesterday. No matter what I do, I'm always needing more lights when I quilt log cabins. I hate repetitions of the same fabric, so I fight back now and then by just buying quarter yards when visiting quilt stores. The net result of that folly is I run out of the prettiest ones first. *sigh* And this is a terrible time to be looking for red and white. Seems this year, the designers aren't into red and white just because I am. Also, there won't be anything but red hearts for the next 6 weeks due to Valentine's Day, and most of those are doused with one shade of pink or another.

I'm following the red-and-white-only rule, and red on white is a lot harder to locate than white on red this year. You'd think they'd learn as a no-brainer that when they run out of the red-and-whites, people just go elsewhere and seek it out if they're doing a red and white only work. That New York American Folk Art Museum showing should have taught them a lesson--do red this year, people want it.

Well, one thing about it super markets have learned to keep items on hand that are featured on The Food Network!!!

The quilt hanging on the end of the bed looks like it is an interesting one a well.

You never know what motivates a small quilt store owner to buy certain types of fabric.

The author said this about the quilt hanging at the foot of the bed: "Draped over the foot-rail is another appliqued tulip variation. Unfortunately, as the fabric is layered, it is the top applique layer that gets the most wear and therefore deteriorates first. Like all young women of her era, Amelia Eskritt made a number of quilts for her hope chest. In 1883 she married Brewin "Roadhouse, and she lived in Essex County until her death in 1948. Amelia scaled down the central pattern and created a complementary border design to frame the central four-block medallion design. She quilted a clamshell design across the surface of the quilt, which gives texture without creating a secondary design." ~ Ontario's Heritage Quilts by Marilyn I. Walker, 1992, Toronto. Well, back to the copier and see if I can get you a closer shot of the applique at the foot of the bed. At first glance, I thought it reminded me of a Hawaiian quilt, but now that I look at it more closely, it's full of Heraldry.

My copier added its own little print to the top of this picture, too. Sorry. The book is so beautiful. My pictures are such nonsense representatives of the beautiful photography. *sigh*

 

[freedombecki]

This morning went well, and 12 squares cut out were quilted in more red and white logs separated as to light and dark. Recapping:

Jan 1, 2012, 2 redwork quilted 8" log cabin squares
Jan 2 - 2
Jan 3 - 12
Total to 9 am = 16 squares, need 63 so, I can get there in 4 days staying with 12 per diem; 3 days with 16, 2 days with 24 each, or one final day of 47 squares.

Square #5, 6 and 7 pictured

 

[freedombecki]

Squares 8, 9, and 10:

 

[freedombecki]

Squares 11, 12, and 13:

 

[freedombecki]

Squares 14, 15, and 16:

 

[Dabs]

The red is very pretty!
I am still working on getting pictures posted of my quilts Becki.....it's finding time, and my good camera

 

[freedombecki]

Hope you get some good shots, Dabs. I'd love to see the quilts your auntie made from your mom's clothes. That's really something.

 

[freedombecki]

Today, we used the fish house gift cards my husband's mom sent for Christmas. He just got his hands spanked at the doctor's for high cholesterol, so I'm trying to get him away from fried fish n' chips and into the omega-3 fatty acids found in broiled fish (not much, but it has a cholesterol-inhibiting effect in people with that problem. The rest will be lowered by his prescription, if after a month of taking it he's getting along okay. After my hour-long sermon all the way there (the nearest one is 45 miles away through highway construction), he preferred the lobster and shrimp linguini.

On the way back, I stopped by JoAnne's and HobbyLobby's to scarf up on what few different reds they offer for my scrap quilts. Together, I came home with 8 new prints, one of which was a huge white dot on red material that will either make a good back or the dark for a grossly large pattern made into a quilt. Well, there were over 6 yards, the quality was ok, and the price was right and included a discount. I'd like to have 30 really, really nice red quilts if I do a show. And picking out only red and white prints in a market that is not offering many redwork groupings lately can be a challenge. You're definitely getting what was left over from last year, and the choices are not small packed prints that are desirable for the 1.25" strip size on the above red log cabin squares. Packing a print means putting small objects closer together with less negative spaces between them so they will present well in a small space. They are sought-after by the miniature quilters, log cabin enthusiasts, and the postage stamp posse girls. Oh, yes, and I still haven't found the 2 yards of white with red dotted material that is a Moda essential. I just had my hands on it a couple of weeks back. I must've found the best storage place in the world for it, at least. I know wherever it is, there are possibly 20 more red and white prints I can't find and forgot about. My digging did come up with another dozen red-and-white quilt fabrics, though, that's a good thing. But the essential dots? They're not ready for me to find them, that's all. *sigh*

 

[freedombecki]

On the way there, I completed a crocheted dishrag and half another one. I use them for family and close friends gifts. They're all cotton and are good for scrubbing. Though I try to match the kitchens as well as I can. Putting a half double-crochet simple border around the green dominant one gave the edge a nice resilient touch, whereas sometimes the single crochet borders I'd used in the past had a tendency to make the outside very tight. It's funny what one yarn over can do in resilience.

 

[freedombecki]

Today, I took some red thread and program 19 on my little Bro sewing machine and sewed all around the square seams. I sewed 6 squares together, and they were fun. I really love the look of the feather stitches. Most sewing machines that have 20 stitches or more have at least one version of the feather stitch. This sample shows the feather stitch (leftest in photo) and many variations hand stitchers have used historically on crazy quilts for embellishment purposes.

Samples of the feather stitch and many variations enjoyed by crazy-stitch quilters:

photo credits

I processed 6 of the squares. It took 2 bobbins of red thread to embroider the feather stitches onto the log cabin squares, but oh, the refined look was well worth a day's time, imho.
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[freedombecki]

I hope the pics come out okay of the feather stitches. I only had a 40 weight cotton thread. I probably should have run 2 threads through the needle. That is a lot more effective in a feather stitch on the machine. But, I just did a plain job, I guess.

 

[Sunshine]

I hope the pics come out okay of the feather stitches. I only had a 40 weight cotton thread. I probably should have run 2 threads through the needle. That is a lot more effective in a feather stitch on the machine. But, I just did a plain job, I guess.

I would go crazy trying to get my head around that!!!

 

[freedombecki]

I hope the pics come out okay of the feather stitches. I only had a 40 weight cotton thread. I probably should have run 2 threads through the needle. That is a lot more effective in a feather stitch on the machine. But, I just did a plain job, I guess.

I would go crazy trying to get my head around that!!!

Most newer (and some older) sewing machines have unwinding discs or prongs for 2 threads. In order to use certain embroidery stitches to full advantage, you just put on a topstitching needle size 90 (14, American), place 2 spools of thread on the 2 prongs, put them together like 1 thread and run them through the threading process as if they were 1 thread. If your thread is 50 weight or smaller, you just use the same needle you use for regular sewing which is size 75 (11) or 80 (12). Threads used to be 40 weight. Now, they're all into less materials, same yardage, so they're making stronger threads that use less fiber and are therefore 50 weight category.

Your stitch is more defined, and if your machine is perfectly timed and synchronized, a stitch programmed to look like hand embroidery will in every way resemble a beautiful, perfectly-done embroidery stitch. If you have a cross stitch program, the 2mm length and width size will embroider 14 count Aida cloth exactly, and the 3mm length and width size will embroider 11 count. If you have a machine that is programmable, you can even cause your machine to cross stitch over 2 threads for petit-point work or even gros-point for working on gingham.

I have a lot more fun with simple stuff anymore. The machine I bought at WalMart a few months ago for under $200 serves all my quilting needs. It's not as quiet as my Pfaff machines were, but it was cheaper to get an inexpensive machine to do straight stitches than it was to hire someone to repair the old top-of-the-line computer machine. Of all the things I enjoyed about sewing in the past, it was using my sewing machine to do pen-and-ink style blackwork. If I can ever get to the bottom of my pile of twosie strips (you don't want to know) I might draw some things out on this machine. It is equipped to do free motion work, and I love to draw using the sewing machine. Unlike real ink and real paint, thread has no noticeable smells, and with the correct backing, your work is just like pen and ink, except it is done in stitches that your hands motion it to do.

I only wish I had about 10 more lifetimes to do all the stuff I'd like to do.

 

[freedombecki]

Georgetown Quilt Show!
It's always fun to go someplace else and see what's happening in the quilt world. Grab a cuppa and take a vicarious tour...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MgBlIIx4as]Georgetown Quilt & Stitchery Show - YouTube[/ame]
​

 

[freedombecki]

If abstract art is your passion, the Houston SAQA show gets into that which is painterly... enjoy!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viAde4IhJwE]Houston Quilt Festival - SAQA Exhibit Highlights with Luana Rubin - YouTube[/ame]
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[freedombecki]

Above is one block of my Kelley green. It is just a stamped pattern.
There are two shades of green working there, but it 's hard to tell in the pic. I'm about half finished, I do recall that, but I don't recall exactly how many blocks it takes. I also have to do the border around all the blocks. Spare time...I can do one block a week. And it's not a productivity thing, it's more of a Zen thing. I just work real slow and zone out when I do this. It's escape. I'm not an expert stitcher by any stretch, but I think my work is decent.

When my mother took the one in to quilt the first thing she said was, 'Oh look at all that pretty cross stitch.' She charged $15, but the woman gave her $20.

Oh, I can't wait to see a touch of the border done on one of your blocks, Sunshine. Today I opened the quilt I spoke of a few pages back that I'd found a quilt on ebay. Well, it is no less a precious quilt, but the embroidery has washed out of some of the blocks, which will have to be repaired, and it has more white space than stitches, whereas yours has a strong and pleasing symmetry about it. Even so, the quilt I bought will be a nice layer on top. It was well-used, and I can guesstimate where the stitches were and try to fix the errors as best I can. I could get my programmable computer machine fixed, and just do a make-do completion, although I'd have to stray from the original maker's handwork. I don't think I could put such a quilt to a machine unless I were a lot more desperate.

*sigh*

Oh, I have to say this, that I love your quilt work.

 

[freedombecki]

I've been noticing some truly pretty quilts online lately. This one is called the "French Braid," and it looks like it starts out with an on-point square in the center of a background length, joined picturesquely to other French braid lengths, then pleasingly bordered. It looks easy, but I'm not so certain...

Anyway, it looks like a whole lot of fun, and something you could quilt in lengthwise panels and join the quilt-as-you-sew method.

credits and kit info
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